New Gensokyo Railway Series 2 (Ghosts of Gensokyo)
by Pergold
Summary: Its the year 2017, and strange things are happening on the railway. A harbor crane collapsing and reappearing, the ghost of a dead kappa, and an incident with an old oak desk. Will the engines, youkai, and tugboats of Gensokyo figure what's going on?
1. A Letter From the Author

Dear, friends.

Even though I have started writing for the first time in ten years.

The time in between my writings have been eventful, for instance.

The year 2017 was when the railway first started phasing out

its stock of wooden coaches for more durable steel ones.

But something peculiar happened at the Hakurei Shrine station

during the time the coaches were being scrapped.

Another odd occurrence happened at the Sanzu Harbor, that gave

the tugboats a big fright.

Of course there was something that happened at Eientei that

involved a surgeon, his drinking, and a desk.

I won't put down any details. Those details are for you to

find out.

Sincerely, The Author


	2. The Kappa in the Coach

Shiro was busy at the Kappa Valley works, he was shunting some coaches into a siding. When Cobol came up to him.

"Hello Shiro" Cobol greeted.

"Hello Cobol, what brings you this way?" asked Shiro.

"Just some general maintenance."

"Your engine's been acting up again. Hasn't it?"

"You guessed right, Shiro. Say, what are you doing with those coaches."

"These are going to be scrapped."

Cobol looked shocked, "Scrapped? What for? Those coaches still look pretty useful."

Shiro laughed uneasily, "Yes. Ever since that accident at the Hakurei Station, the Scarlet Controller's been meaning to take these wooden ones out of service."

The accident between Cobol and Kenta at the Hakurei Shrine station had only happened a year ago, but still had an impact on the engines. To this day the engines are still feeling the effects of what had happened. It always felt like it happened yesterday.

"But what are these coaches being replaced by?" asked Cobol.

"One made from steel. Nitori says they're more sturdy and don't cave inward like wooden coaches do." replied Shiro.

"Yeah, I know." said Cobol, sadly.

A kappa walked up to Cobol. "The works are ready for you now, Cobol." she said.

"I best be going Shiro."

"Goodbye, Cobol!"

"Goodbye, Shiro!"

That night at the Hakurei Shrine, Reimu Hakurei was fast asleep, until she heard the sound of a railway locomotive coming from the station. She slowly brought herself to sit upward in her futon.

"Shrine trains? This late at night?" she said to herself.

She got out of bed and walked out of the shrine and out towards the station. A thin mist covered the ground. When she got to the platform, she saw a lone composite brake coach, standing by on the platform.

"I thought Remilia said she was getting rid of these." she wondered.

She was about to knock on the door, when she saw that her hand phased through the coach door, like if it wasn't really there. Reimu walked over to the back of the coach and she saw the ghostly figure of a kappa, acting as the guard of what seemed to Reimu was a nonexistent train. She stared at the coach, until something in her head told her that something bad was going to happen.

She jumped as she heard the screeching brakes of an oncoming train. Reimu ran to the back of the platform and braced the wall of the station building as the screeching became louder and louder. With a loud crash! The coach crumpled down to half its length.

"Where's the engine?" thought Reimu.

She walked slowly and carefully to the edge of the platform and jumped down onto the track. She looked down the crushed half of the coach. She saw a kappa, gasping for air, tears running down her cheeks. Reimu saw that her abdomen had been crushed by wood and that a rod of steel from the frames had pierced her chest. The kappa soon stopped breathing and her eyes dilated, before her restrained body went limp. Reimu found that her hands had covered her mouth in shock. The kappa's blood soaked clothes caught Reimu's attention, and those eyes. The kappa's eyes, were wide open, almost staring into Reimu's soul.

Reimu walked backwards until she tripped on a tie and landed, butt first onto the ballast. Then, without any warning, the kappa dematerialized, followed by the rest of the coach, fading into nothingness.

The following morning, Cobol pulled into the Hakurei Station with passengers and donations to the shrine. He saw Reimu sweeping the platform with a look of dread on her face.

"Hello, Rei-" Cobol couldn't finish, as Reimu screamed and burst into tears.

"Reimu? I also said-"

"I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" she screeched in between bursts of tears.

"Reimu? What happened?"

"The kappa! I saw her! I saw her dead body, right in front of me! I did nothing and she...she...she...", Reimu's crying made her voice unintelligible.

Reimu got up and tried to recompose herself, but was too spooked to do so.

When Cobol got to the big station, he saw Shiro and Hiroto, discussing Marisa and Alice's new kid.

"Did you hear about Reimu?" asked Cobol.

"I did see her." said Hiroto, "She seemed very...strange today."

"What happened?" asked Shiro.

"She wouldn't say. She started crying when I said 'hello' to her. She kept on saying 'I didn't do it!' and 'The kappa! I saw her!', I honestly don't know what she's going on about. Do you?"

"If I knew anything, I think she saw a ghost!" said Hiroto.

"Hiroto! Ghosts are everywhere! Have you been around the Sanzu before?" said Shiro.

"I've been there once, it was terrible." replied Hiroto.

"I can attest to that." commented Cobol.

"I'll see if I can investigate." said Shiro.

It was getting dark, when Shiro was in the yards. The yardmaster walked up to him, "Take this load to the Hakurei Shrine, someone who brew _sake_ loaded a few tankers for a donation."

"I wonder how she's going to unload it." replied Shiro, thoughtfully.

Shiro was coupled to the tankers and soon made his way towards the Hakurei Shrine station. It was dark when he neared the station, a foggy mist soon rolled in front of him. Shiro thought it was odd, but didn't thing much of it.

Reimu was waiting at the platform, she didn't see Shiro, but rather looked at something that Shiro soon noticed.

"Oh, I missed a coach." he said to himself.

"Let's fetch it for our return journey home." his driver replied.

Shiro left the tankers in a siding and went to get the coach. He backed down and left enough distance for his driver to couple up the coach. But when his driver tried to grab the coupling chain, her hand went right through it.

"Oh no." her driver said.

She ran back into the cab and told the firewoman what conclusion she came to.

But before they could do anything, Shiro and his crew heard the loud screeching of an engine trying to stop at full speed. It louder until they heard the coach get smashed and the coach even hit Shiro's buffers, giving him a slight push.

Reimu continued to stare deeply at the now ruined coach. Shiro gave one glance at the back of him, "It's a ghost!" he cried.

Shiro moved himself so he could see the back of the coach. He nearly coughed up boiler sludge. When he got back to the sheds, he told the other engines and soon the story spread. The story of the dead kappa's ghost soon reached the Scarlet Controller.

Cobol saw her, thinking of what to do on the platform.

"Excuse me, Remilia? Could I be of some help?" he asked.

"Is it about the ghost Reimu sees every night?" replied the Scarlet Controller.

"Yes, I think I have a plan." Cobol told her of her plan.

Soon, the following night, Cobol brought down a train of wooden coaches to the platform, bringing with him, Yukari Yakumo, and her friend, Yuyuko Saigayouji.

"So when does this 'ghost' come?" Yukari asked Reimu.

Reimu, mumbled something and pointed at the end of platform. Yukari swore she heard Reimu saying very softly, "Right about now."

A misty fog rolled in from nowhere and like clockwork, a composite brake coach appeared.

"Quick!" shouted Cobol.

Yuyuko jumped down between the real and the corporal coaches and she, being a ghost herself, was able to grasp the chain and couple up the coaches.

She jumped back onto the platform, and yelled back to Cobol that she coupled the train. Cobol quickly tooted his horn, and almost like magic. The ghostly figure of the kappa stepped out of the coach. She starred at the shrine maiden and two youkai, and then back at the train. She grabbed her flag and whistle. She then waved her flag and blew her whistle, and went back inside of the coach. Cobol's engine had been left running and he quickly pulled away the coach.

Just before the sound of brakes screeching was heard as just as the coach left the platform, the coach suddenly faded out of existence. The spirit of the kappa, was finally, at rest.

Reimu fainted and promptly fell unconscious on the platform. Yukari and Yuyuko picked her up and brought her into safety of her shrine. Cobol was already on the loop and was taking the coaches back to the siding where they would be finally cut up.

The next day, Cobol waited at the station platform, he was tired from last night's experience and hadn't got much in the way of sleep. Hiroto came back from the Hakurei Shrine.

"How's Reimu?" yawned Cobol.

"Reimu seems to be much better now that ghost had went away." said Hiroto.

"That's good." replied Cobol.

Cobol, then fell soundly to sleep.


	3. The Lost Crane Operator

At the Sanzu Harbor, Hachirou waited for his next goods train to be loaded. That was when Ten Yen showed up.

"Hello, Ten Yen!" Hachirou called out.

"Hello, Hachirou. Fancy seeing you here, what brought you out here?" Ten Yen replied.

"Just a goods train I have to bring to Mayohiga."

"Did you hear the news?" asked Ten Yen.

"What news?"

"We might be privatized."

"Privatized? What does that mean?" asked Hachirou.

"It means we won't be owned by the harbor and Kappa Valley anymore."

Haruka and Haruki were in the harbor, they had just finished shunting Hachirou's trucks.

"Hey Hachirou!" said Haruka.

"Your train's ready!" finished Haruki.

"I must leave. See you when I next come to the harbor." said Hachirou.

"Bye, Hachirou."

That night, the Sanzu tugs were fast asleep, when suddenly, an explosion was heard. Ten Yen's eyes open widely. The other tugs were slow to wake up.

"What was that?" yawned Mob Cap, the railway tug.

"I don't know, but I'll find out." said Ten Yen, and he got his engine going.

He searched up and down the harbor, but could find no evidence of an explosion. He heading back to where he was sleeping, until he heard a scream. Ten Yen turned around and that one of the cranes were swaying. The crane lurched and fell into the water.

"I must tell the others." Ten Yen said to himself.

When he did manage to convince the other tugboats about to see the fallen crane, when they came with Ten Yen, he saw that the crane that had fallen earlier had magically erected itself back into place.

"But! But! But the crane fell!" said Ten Yen in disbelief.

"Ten Yen." said Mob Cap, "You really are pulling our rope."

"Yeah, you must be crazy." said Bushido.

"Ten Yen, you had a busy day. Get some rest." said Kanabo.

"Right, I'm probably just tired." replied a disappointed Ten Yen.

The next morning, Ahiru had stopped by with a passenger train, a passenger had requested to stop at the harbor.

"Good morning, Ten Yen. Got anymore details about that privatization of yours?" said Ahiru.

"No. But last night I saw that crane other there fall down." replied Ten Yen.

Ahiru looked around at one of the cranes, "You mean Big Daisuke?"

"Yes." replied Ten Yen.

"Didn't he fall into the water when the old harbor blew up?"

"Yes." suddenly, Ten Yen knew what was going on.

"That must be the ghost of Big Daisuke's operator!"

"We had a ghost a few days ago, the Hakurei shrine maiden looked all pale and she had a nervous breakdown."

But before Ahiru could continue, Ten Yen went off to find some work, he had a plan to hatch.

The following night, Ahiru heard the explosion again. The other tugboats woke up too. But Ten Yen ran off, whistling and making noise.

"Ten Yen! What are you possibly doing at this time of night?" asked Mob Cap.

"Follow me!" replied Ten Yen.

"What could Ten Yen be getting at?" asked Kanabo.

The three tugs soon followed Ten Yen and they came up to Big Daisuke. The crane began to sway and lurch.

"What's going on?!" said a scared Bushido.

The scream came again and soon the crane fell into the water with a great big splash.

"I told you the crane fell!" said Ten Yen.

"I s-see your point." said Mob Cap.

For the next few days, the ghost of Big Daisuke's old operator haunted the harbor. Sometime, a crate or a barrel would explode. Luckily the explosions didn't start any fires, just the contents would blast apart. The Moriya Shrine's miko, Sanae Kochiya came to the harbor to see what the weird occurrences were about. She saw the crane sway lightly and see flew up to the cab were the operator would sit and work the crane.

"Finally, an incident that I can solve. By myself!" she thought importantly.

Sanae heard the explosion and the crane began to sway more violently. She soon heard a scream come from inside of the crane. She looked inside and saw that there was no one inside. But the crane soon fell down. Because of where Sanae had been floating, the crane slammed into her and Big Daisuke took Sanae with him down into the river. It took a while for Sanae to get her bearings and swam up to the surface.

"Sanae!" cried Ten Yen.

He went over to where Sanae had been treading and dropped a rope for her. She climbed it and went over onto Ten Yen's deck.

"See! This is the ghost that been haunting the whole harbor!" said Ten Yen.

"I see. I will go back to my shrine now. I'll tell Kanako and Suwako what we can do, but it'll mean closing the harbor." replied Sanae.

"I think I have a better idea."

The next day, a salvaging operation was held. Several ships with divers went down to the bottom of the river, the part where Big Daisuke had once fallen onto. They soon found a largely decomposed body, covered in ragged clothing. The body was loaded into a casket and was soon shipped to its final resting rest place.

That night, Ten Yen went out to the harbor and saw a spirit. The spirit resembled the operator who drowned inside of Big Daisuke. The spirit waited for Komachi to arrive with her ferry. When the spirit payed his fare, he climbed into the boat and Komachi started rowing. Ten Yen whistled at the spirit, the spirit looked back and waved at him. Ten Yen watched as the boat go out further and further into the Sanzu River.

After that, Big Daisuke is never seen falling down into the water and mysteriously reappearing back onto the dock and the explosion sounds were never heard again.


	4. Henry Blake, Ichihiro, and the Desk

Henry Blake, Eientei's resident surgeon, awaited eagerly at station on the estate grounds. Reisen Udongein Inaba, walked over to him. He looked at him with a look of bemusement.

"What's got you so excited? You ordered another tanker full of beer again?" asked Reisen.

"Oh c'mon!" replied Henry, "It was only one time. Besides, I got something from Kourindou and its finally arriving!"

"What did you order?"

Before Henry Blake could answer, Ichihiro arrived at the station with medical supplies. Henry walked up to Ichihiro and asked him if he had stopped at Kourindou.

"So your the one that requested me to go out of my way and go there." said Ichihiro, "The van from Kourindou is the first van in the line."

Henry walked to the first van in the train and opened the door.

"Reisen? Do you mind helping me this?" grunted Henry.

"What do you mean?"

"Just come here."

Reisen went into the goods van and she and Henry grabbed and moved a large oak desk onto the platform.

"You ordered a desk?!" said Reisen.

"Yes, I had one like this for a short time. Then Hawkeye and McIntyre traded it for medical supplies." replied Henry.

Reisen got busy unloading the medical supplies as Henry dragged the desk inside. He was siting on the desk, resting, when Eirin saw him.

"I thought you went out to help Reisen?" she asked.

"No. I was busy getting this." answered Henry.

Eirin took a good look at the desk and she looked back at Henry.

"Why did you get a desk?"

"I got it because it reminds me of my MASH days."

Eirin looked puzzled, "Why would you want to be reminded of a time of war, death, tragedy, and sadness?"

"Because it reminds me of Hawkeye, Klinger, Trapper John, Major Houlihan, and..." Henry paused disgustedly, "...Frank Burns. Yeah, I can see your point here."

"Now aren't you going to get rid of that desk?"

"No, I payed for it. I'm keeping it." and with that, Henry Blake continued to move the desk to his room.

It took Henry Blake longer than he had expected it, but he finally got the heavy desk into his room. He took a chair and placed it behind the desk, he sat down and put his hands down onto the desk. It was nostalgic for him, it reminded him all the good times he had at the 4077th.

That night, Eirin and Reisen broke into his room and they both moved the desk down to the station platform where Ichihiro waited with a conflat truck.

"Why do you want me here so late?" yawned Ichihiro.

"I want you to take this desk and put it somewhere." said Eirin.

Ichihiro saw the two of them, load the desk onto the conflat.

"Why do you want me to take this desk! I just brought it here a while ago!"

"I don't want Henry becoming all arrogant and important because he has an old desk." replied Eirin.

"I think your just jealous." said Reisen, dryly.

"No, I'm not. It's just when Henry Blake starts talking the Korean War like he's seeing it through rose tinted glasses. War is goddamn awful and I need him to know that." replied Eirin, she continued, "Ichihiro. Place the desk somewhere you would only know where it is."

"Fine." replied Ichihiro, "Just so long I can get some sleep."

The next morning, Henry found that his desk had went missing. He spent the whole morning looking for it.

Ichihiro pulled into the station with his first passenger train. Henry Blake walked over to him.

"Do you know where my desk went?" he asked.

Ichihiro tried not to look suspicious. "I did not see it...Nope, I haven't a clue where its gone."

Henry gave Ichihiro a dirty look before walking away.

Ichihiro soon left the platform, one of his coaches began to talk to him.

"What's going on, Ichihiro?" said Ani.

"Nothing, Ani."

"Oh come on Ichihiro. You have something bothering you."

Ichihiro sighed, "I took Henry Blake's desk."

His coaches gasped, "You didn't!" they said.

"I did. But only because Eirin told me to."

Meanwhile, Henry had telephoned Marisa, asking if she had stolen his desk.

"An old oak desk? What would I do with something like that?" Marisa said.

"I thought you took it. You do tend to borrow things without asking...or giving them back."

"No. Besides, I'm taking Takara out to go borrow some things. I hope you find your stupid desk, _da ze_. Bye."

The phone went silent. Henry Blake felt defeated. But Reisen, came up to him.

"Do you want to know where your desk is?"she asked.

"Yes. I need that desk back." reponded Blake.

"Give me some one of your best bottles and I'll talk."

Henry, reluctantly went to his liqueur cabinet and grabbed one of his finest bottle of brew and gave it to Reisen. The need for his desk seemed greater than losing a bottle of booze.

"Thanks." Reisen took the top off and took a swig straight from the bottle and told where Ichihiro had put the desk.

For Henry Blake, he had go a convoluted route going from riding on Ichihiro's train to the Human Village, to taking Hiroto's express to the Moryia Shrine, then taking a train on the Narrow Gauge line, before finally ending up in Kappa Valley. Henry spent a good part of the day searching for the railway sheds. He soon found it and walked around, looking for Ichihiro's berth. He did find it. But there was no conflat. He looked around and found a kappa organizing some tools.

"Where's my desk?!" he said, getting up close and personal with the kappa.

The kappa luckily had a stiff upper lip and said, "If your looking for the conflat that desk of yours was on. Our Number one took it."

Meanwhile, Ichihiro was at Eientei station, with the conflat the desk was on.

"Why did you bring it back?!" asked Eirin.

"Ani and Kuraraberu would not stop telling me to give it back. They said it was dishonest." replied Ichihiro.

Eirin remain flustered as to what to do with Henry Blake's desk. She had to hide it, but when she called for Reisen, she stumbled by and slumped over onto the desk.

"Reisen! What's gotten into you!"

Reisen, picked herself back up, "I-I-I told Henry, where his d-d-desk is." she hiccuped, "He back me his best...be-er."

"Reisen! Your drunk aren't you!" accused Eirin.

"No...N-no...Your the drunk one...missy." Reisen burped and promptly fell backwards onto the ground, "Nighty night." she said, before passing out.

"What I'm I going to do with her." said Eirin.

It was evening when Henry returned to Eientei empty handed. He was tired from all the searching he did and went into his room. Now without a desk, he began doing something that would still remind of the MASH. He grabbed some piping and some tubes and all sorts of beakers and glasses and he started to build a still.

"Hawkeye had a still." thought Henry Blake to himself.

But where was the desk? Well, not knowing a good hiding place, she gave the desk to Kaguya Houraisan. She enjoyed messing about with the desk, but she didn't have a chair to use with the desk. I don't thing Eirin would ever stop Henry Blake from thinking about the MASH, don't you?


	5. Yuyuko and the Buffet Coach

Yukari Yakumo and her friend Yuyuko Saigayouji were at the Human Village station.

"You really are sure they are doing a lunch special on this train?" asked Yuyuko.

"Yes I'm sure! Remilia told me that this was a new service for the trains during noon." replied Yukari.

Hiroto, the railway's main express engine, idled in a siding nearby. He overheard Yukari and Yuyuko talking.

"Oh no." thought Hiroto, "She's on my next train."

Yuyuko was notorious for being a glutton, and Hiroto had to mentally prepare himself for what he thought was 'Gensokyoian loading gauge at its maximum'. He soon was told it was time for him to be coupled up to the train. Hiroto was so distracted by the thought of having to pull a train with a more than hungry ghost on board, he gave the coaches a bump.

"Watch it!" said his driver.

Hiroto just grumbled under his breath. The guard blew her whistle and waved her flag. Hiroto responded with his own whistle and set off.

Yukari and Yuyuko found their seats, and Yuyuko said she was going to the buffet coach.

"It should be the second one down." instructed Yukari.

Hiroto was making good time, until he began to feel a drag from the coaches.

"Oh dear!" said Hiroto, "Yuyuko must be eating."

Hiroto was right, Yuyuko had just put in her order and sat down. But her eating wasn't the reason why Hiroto's train was slowing.

Hiroto charged further in order to get over his hill in decent speed. But he felt the coaches drag more and more on him.

"Damn, Yuyuko!" grunted Hiroto as he tried to go faster, "Your heavy for a ghost!"

While Yuyuko was busy eating, Yukari was looking outside the window in her coach and saw that the landscape was moving slower and slower.

"I thought this was the express!" she complained.

Hiroto soon approached the hill, he charge up, he was thrashing himself as he went up.

"Steady Hiroto!" cried his driver.

Hiroto was too tired to reply. Soon the drag was too much and Hiroto crawled to a stop. He breathed heavily, trying to regain his strength.

The guard climbed out from the train and walked up to Hiroto's crew.

"It was...Yuyuko's fault!" said Hiroto, in between breaths.

"I don't think so." replied his driver.

His driver then told him what the guard had said.

"A broken brake pipe!" exclaimed Hiroto.

"You damaged it when you bumped into the coaches." said his driver.

"Oh I should have known it."

Yukari stepped out angrily, "I thought this was the express! I was told this was the express! Why did we stop?"

"Sorry Ms. Yakumo. I thought it was Yuyuko, but its only a broken brake pipe." replied Hiroto.

"Why you!" shouted Yukari, she was about to give Hiroto a piece of her mind, when the guard stopped her and asked if was about to fix the brake pipe.

"If it means getting this train going again, I'll help."

Yukari opened up a gap and went inside of it. It didn't take long for her to come out with a roll of duct tape. Hiroto's crew and the guard applied the tape on the brake pipe and soon, the train was ready to go.

Hiroto's driver climbed back into her cab, "Did you think you can start a heavy on a gradient like this?" she asked.

"I think so." said Hiroto.

His driver carefully built up steam and put sand down on the rails. Hiroto's wheel gripped the sand and he was ready. His wheel spun out for a couple seconds before finally moving forward. He was slow at first, but he soon was able to coast down the other side of the hill. It wasn't long until they got to the Moriya Shrine station. A disgruntled Yukari and a very satified Yuyuko stepped out the coach and onto the platform.

"I'm sorry I assumed Yuyuko was the one that slowed me down." Hiroto apologized.

"You should be sorry!" said Yukari.

"No, no. Its fine Yukari." said Yuyuko, "I accept your apology, Hiroto, but next time. Be more careful with the coaches."

Hiroto hoped he would.


End file.
